1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exhaust gas system for purifying an exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine, in particular for purifying exhaust gases from a diesel engine of an automobile.
Such exhaust systems have been the subject of ongoing development in the past, due to statutory provisions which are imposing ever higher demands on the exhaust systems used in automotive engineering. That has involved using a wide range of components which each fulfill different functions within the exhaust system. For example, starting catalytic converters are known which have a particularly small volume, so that they quickly reach their starting temperature required for catalytic conversion following a cold start of the internal combustion engine. Furthermore, by way of example, electrically heatable catalytic converters are known, which likewise allow an improved cold-starting performance of the exhaust system. What are known as adsorbers in the exhaust system of an internal combustion engine have the task of adsorbing certain pollutants which are present in the exhaust gas for a certain period of time. Those pollutants are preferably stored until a downstream catalytic converter has reached its operating temperature. Moreover, in particular in exhaust systems of diesel engines, particulate traps or particulate filters are used, which collect carbon-based particulates contained in the exhaust gas. The collected particulates are converted continuously or discontinuously, for example by supplying a high level of thermal energy.